High Expectations

I cried this week. Haven't done that in a while but zariously I did. Why? Because of a teacher's stories of success and failure. It is so easy to become so emotionally attached to students. You want with everything in you for them to succeed. Sure did make me realize that teaching is something that I am passionate about. It is so hard to not expect some all powerful two year experience where I just walk in and empower all my students like some Hollywood movie. But I do expect me to be played by Liam Neeson if this is the case. But those are not the expectations that I need to be most concerned about...

Students in low-income communities do not lack potential. The potential is there, it is just ignored. And that my friends is not okay. There are so many theories out there as to why these students seem to be more than three grade levels behind in school ranging from race, class, racism, family and group structure, and so many more. Teach for America's main thought in bridging this achievement gap is by holding students to high expectations. I have no doubt that this is going to be so hard for me to do. It is more important to avoid sympathy and pity when it comes to a student's education. How hard is it to look passed hunger, crime, lack of sleep, and parents who do not care. But it is undeniable that the best way for me to show my care for my students is to constantly push them to where they need to be academically.

This makes me think about Dr. Wit's Mammalian class and how true holding students to higher standards results in them achieving so much more. His class was soo much harder, but every single person in their took on the challenge to learn and study as much as they possible could. He set out his expectations and expected us to meet them. I always did enough to get by in school. And when the bar of this "enough to get by" was raised, I was forced to put in more effort. He knew we were capable. It is proven that students perform based on what teachers expect. I probably would still be in school if Dr. Wit had not pushed me to my potential and believed in me.

I hope I can hold myself to these high expectations. As a teacher, friend, and most importantly a follower of Jesus Christ. He and those around us deserve our best. We should not allow ourselves to settle for anything that is not our best. That is what my prayer is: to meet high expectation. Expectations for myself and for my students. High expectations is not just something you believe, it is something you DO.